Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
HOTELS
AMIENS
MICHELIN
stockists._
[Illustration]
_For the
present
GUIDE,
take sheet
n^o =6=._
_MOTORISTS_
_this map
was made
specially
for you._
IN MEMORY
OF THE MICHELIN WORKMEN AND EMPLOYEES
WHO DIED GLORIOUSLY FOR THEIR COUNTRY.
THE
SOMME.
VOLUME II.
THE SECOND BATTLE OF THE SOMME
(1918)
AMIENS--MONTDIDIER--COMPIGNE.
[Illustration]
Compiled and published by
MICHELIN & CIE., Clermont-Ferrand, France.
_All rights of translation, adaptation or reproduction (in part or
whole) reserved in all countries_
[Illustration: The Front Line, March 21, 1918.
THE BATTLEFIELD.]
18-29._]
[Illustration: _Combined Offensives on the Scarpe and Aisne, August
25-Sept. 8._]
[Illustration: _In contact with the Hindenburg Line (September
10-25)._]
[Illustration: GENERAL PTAIN.]
[Illustration: FIELD-MARSHAL HAIG.]
_In March 1918, the British and French Armies, under separate commands,
opposed the furious attacks of numerically superior and more powerfully
equipped enemy forces, grouped under the command of a single chief:
Ludendorff._
in the centre of the semi-circle, could be used with the same rapidity
against any part of the front-line from Flanders to Champagne.
The point chosen by Ludendorff was the junction of the Franco-British
Armies. To separate these two groups, by driving back the British, on
the right, and the French, on the left; to exploit the initial success
in the direction of the sea, isolating the British and forcing them
back upon their naval bases of Calais and Dunkirk; then, having crushed
the British, to concentrate the whole of his efforts against the
French, who, unsupported and demoralized, would soon be driven to their
knees,--such was apparently the strategical conception of the enemy's
"Kaiserschlacht" or "Emperor's Battle".
The Opposing Forces.
On March 21, three German armies attacked along a 54-mile front, from
the Scarpe to the Oise.
In the north, the XVIIth Army (von Below) and the IInd Army (von
Marwitz) attacked on either side of the Cambrai salient, but the main
effort was made by the XVIIIth Army (von Hutier), which stretched from
the north of St. Quentin to the Oise.
[Illustration]
Facing these armies were: the right of the British 3rd Army (Byng),
extending from the Scarpe to Gouzeaucourt, and the British 5th. Army
(Gough), from Gouzeaucourt to south of the Oise.
The British expected the brunt of the attack to fall between the river
Sense and the Bapaume-Cambrai road, i.e. on the right of Byng's Army,
which was reinforced accordingly, whilst the sector in front of the
Oise, south of St. Quentin, against which von Hutier's huge army had
been concentrated, was only held by 4 divisions.
More than 500,000 Germans were about to attack the 160,000 British
under Gough and Byng, whilst from the outset of the battle, large enemy
reserves swelled the number of the attacking divisions to 64, i.e.,
more than the total number of British divisions in France. In all, no
less than 1,150,000 Germans were engaged in these tremendous onslaughts.
During the five nights which preceded the attack, the German divisions
had been brought up secretly, the artillery having previously taken up
its positions and corrected its range, without augmenting the volume of
firing, so that nothing revealed the increased number of the batteries.
The shock troops, after several weeks of intensive training, were
brought up by night marches to the points of attack. During the day,
they were kept out of sight in the woods or villages. At night, whether
on the march or bivouacking, lights and fires were strictly forbidden.
Aeroplanes hovered above the columns to see that these orders were
carried out. The ammunition parks and convoys were concealed in the
woods. Until the last moment, the troops and most of the officers were
kept in ignorance of their destination.
These huge forces moving silently under the cover of night,
symbolized the enemy's might and cunning. "_It is strange_", wrote a
German officer in his note-book, "_to think of these huge masses of
troops--all Germany on the march--moving westward to-night_".
THE BATTLE.
On March 21, during this, the "Einbruch" or piercing stage, the
enormous enemy mass crushed, in less than 48 hours, the three British
positions situated in front of St. Quentin. Carrying the battle into
the open country beyond, the enemy transformed the "piercing" into a
break-through ("Durchbruch").
This sudden, powerful thrust was followed by a "tidal wave" of German
infantry which at first submerged all before it, but which, dammed by
degrees, finally spent itself, a week later, against the Allies' new
front.
THE DISRUPTION OF THE BRITISH FRONT.
On March 21, at daybreak (4.40 a.m.) a violent cannonade broke out,
and for five hours the intensity of this drum-fire steadily increased.
First, a deluge of shells, mostly gas, pounded the British batteries,
some of which were silenced. Then the bombardment ploughed up the first
positions, spreading dense clouds of gas and fumes over a wide zone.
"Michael" hour.
Under cover of the smoke and fog, the German Infantry speedily crossed
No-Man's Land, and at 9.30 a.m. ("Michael" hour) penetrated the
British defences.
[Illustration: GENERAL GOUGH.
_Photo "Daily Mirror Studios"._]
[Illustration: GENERAL BYNG. _Photo Russell, London._]
The front assigned to each attacking division was only two kilometres
wide, the troops being formed into two storm columns of one regiment
each. The third regiment was kept as sector reserves, to develop
initial successes.
The storm-troops, led by large numbers of non-commissioned officers,
advanced in waves, shoulder-to-shoulder, preceded by a rolling barrage
some 300 yards ahead of the first line. This barrage afterwards moved
forward at the rate of about 200 yards every five minutes.
The waves advanced resolutely, protected first by the rolling barrage,
then by the accompanying artillery and _Minenwerfer_. Wherever the
resistance was too strong, a halt was made, allowing the neighbouring
waves to outflank the obstacle on either side, and crush it.
The Germans straightway threw the greatest possible mass of infantry
into the Allies' defences.
Amid clouds of gas, smoke and fog, the British in the advanced
On =March 24=, the crushing effect of the German thrust was further
accentuated by the arrival of new enemy divisions.
Favoured by the fog, which entirely hid the valleys of the Oise and
Somme, their advance-guards swept the plain with machine-gun fire, in
their search for gaps and weak places in the thin French line.
All the attacks converged towards Noyon. At 9 a.m., in the valley of
the Oise, the capture of Viry-Noureuil threatened Chauny, whilst in the
centre, Villequier-Aumont and Genlis Wood were taken. Overwhelmed by
numbers, the Cuirassiers, after firing their last cartridges, fell back
on Caillouel Hill. The divisions on the left took up positions south of
Guiscard. In spite of the unequal struggle, the fighting spirit of the
troops remained admirable.
On the left of General Pell's group, between Nesle and Guiscard, the
situation was still more desperate, as, having crossed the Somme, the
Germans now greatly intensified their thrust. The depleted British
units continued their retreat westward, leaving a gap north of Nesle.
The French 22nd Div. was hurriedly despatched towards Nesle, and
elements of the 1st Cav. Div. to the east of Chaulnes.
On March 24, south of Pronne, the German IInd Army crossed with
difficulty the marshy valley of the Somme, then pushing on towards
Chaulnes, opened a gap at Pargny.
North of Pronne, the enemy reached Sailly-Saillisel, Rancourt and
Clry in the morning, and pushed west with 3,000 cavalry. In danger of
being turned, Byng's Army, which had abandoned the Havrincourt Salient
during the night of the 22nd, evacuated Bertincourt and retreated
westward.
[Illustration: SHARPSHOOTERS AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.]
[Illustration: FRANCO-BRITISH LINE OF INFANTRY IN WHICH "TOMMIES"
MINGLED WITH "POILUS" (_Photo Imperial War Museum_).
_One of the gravest consequences of the retreat of Gough's Army was
the temporary severance of the French from the British. To restore and
consolidate the liaison was the constant aim of the French General
Staff._]
_These units coolly withdrew, whenever they found themselves outflanked
and in danger of being cut off, often fighting furious rearguard
actions, and repulsing the enemy with heavy loss, each time a frontal
attack was attempted. (Field-Marshal Haig)._
On the contrary, we read in Ludendorff's Memoirs that _the German
XVIIth Army was exhausted, having suffered too heavy losses before the
Cambrai Salient on March 21 and 22_.
[Illustration]
During the night, the enemy continued to press forward in the fog, in
an attempt to rout the precariously installed and ill-supplied French
units, and to harass Gough's Army, in retreat towards the Santerre
Plateau. On this, Palm Sunday evening, Holy Week opened tragically.
The Fall of Noyon and the Fighting on the old Battlefield of the Somme.
=The 25th, at daybreak=, fresh German divisions violently attacked the
exhausted French units, seeking to turn their left wing, and at the
same time crush General Pell's group in the centre.
In face of the increasing danger, General Pell received orders to
"check the enemy advance, whatever the condition of the men might be".
The 1st Inf. Div. (Grgoire), hastily brought up and reinforced by
the remnants of the British 18th Div. and of various French Divisions
picked up on the way, established itself on the hills which cover Noyon
to the north-east. They had scarcely taken up their positions, when
the Germans attacked, only to be repulsed. Further to the left, the
enemy were unable to debouch from Crisolles, but on the French right,
the 55th and 125th Div., which had been fighting incessantly since the
22nd, were forced back across the Oise, near Brtigny. Pushing on, the
Germans captured Babuf, but a British counter-attack forced them to
fall back slightly.
[Illustration]
The battle continued to rage and the danger of being outflanked
became more and more acute. Catigny and Beaurains fell, leaving
Noyon unprotected on the north-west. In the course of a fierce
counter-attack, the 144th Inf. Reg. succeeded in recapturing these
villages, but the German hordes still pressed on, opening a gap
between Beaurains and Genvry, through which they poured, following the
little valley of the Verse which slopes down towards Noyon. The troops
defending the northern and north-eastern approaches to that town were
now threatened with being surrounded.
General Pell endeavoured to stop this fresh gap with the few
units left at his disposal, and organized a new line of support on
Porquericourt Hill and Mont Renaud (_sketch, p. 18_), at the same time
urging the troops which were fighting to the north of Noyon to "hold
out a few hours longer, each hour being worth a day".
One French division, and units of a second division, comprising some
British remnants, were now fighting against odds of four to one.
[Illustration:
_The enemy threatened Noyon, through the valleys of the Oise and
Verse. To the north of Nesle, the Montdidier road was open._]
[Illustration:
_Fall of Noyon. Gen. Pell's Group organized positions on
Porquericourt Hill and Mont-Renaud. Gen. Robillot's forces fell back
on Roye._]
On the =evening of the 25th=, they fell back in good order, on Noyon.
The 57th Inf. Reg. resisted all night in the town, to enable the final
line of resistance to be organized.
At midnight, the front line passed in front of Porquericourt Hill
and Mont Renaud, at Pont-l'vque, thence following the Oise. It was
along this line that Gen. Pell's Corps had orders to hold the German
advance, and bar the road to Paris.
General Humbert declared on the evening of the 25th: _The troops of the
5th A.C. and of the 2nd C. of unmounted Cavalry are defending the very
heart of France. The consciousness of the grandeur of their task will
point out the path of duty to them._
This day (25th) was still more tragical on General Humbert's left.
At daybreak, a violent battle broke out around Nesle, the town being
abandoned at 11 a.m.
Spread over a too wide front, from Nesle to Guiscard, the troops under
Gen. Robillot had orders to maintain the liaison on their right with
Gen. Pell's forces (retreating southward) and on the left with the
depleted British units which were falling back to the north-west. The
gap widened, and the enemy pressed through. The situation was highly
critical, the road to Montdidier being now open.
[Illustration: GENERAL FAYOLLE, IN COMMAND OF THE HUMBERT-DEBENEY ARMY
GROUP]
Despite their desperate resistance
1st Cav. Div. and 2nd Corps--units
breach to re-establish the liaison
Robillot's group fell back towards
right. Roye, outflanked from the south and attacked on the north, was
lost. A breach, opened between the 22nd and 62nd Div. was filled by
an emergency detachment hastily got together on the spot by General
Robillot.
On the evening of the 26th, the front was established on the line
Echelle-St.-Aurin, Dancourt, Plessis-Cacheleux.
[Illustration: ROYE. THE PLACE D'ARMES AT THE END OF THE WAR.]
General Humbert made a strong appeal to his men: _Let all commanding
officers firmly resolve to accomplish their duty to the extreme limit
of sacrifice, and imbue their men with the same spirit._
North of the Somme, the Germans took Albert--an important junction--but
were checked further north, by the left wing of Byng's Army.
[Illustration: THE MONT RENAUD.]
Allied Unity of Command.
Events had forcibly demonstrated the urgent necessity for Allied unity
of command. On March 26, a War Council, composed of M.M. Poincar,
Clemenceau, Lord Milner, Haig, Ptain and Foch, empowered the latter to
_coordinate the action of the Allied Armies on the Western Front_.
"At the moment when Foch was to take precedence of Ptain and Haig,
what was the position of the armies, as regards the directives of the
High Command? In other words, how was the Anglo-French battle being
directed? The position is defined in the General Orders of Ptain and
Haig, the former of whom prescribed:
"To keep the French forces grouped, to protect the Capital; _essential
mission_;
"To ensure the liaison with the British; _secondary mission_;
"The latter prescribed that everything possible should be done to avoid
severance from the French;
"Should this be unavoidable, _to fall back slowly, covering the Channel
Ports_.
"If we place these two orders side by side, _their divergence strikes
us painfully_. It is patent that the instructions of the two great
chiefs had not the same object in view, and did not tend towards the
same end. One was thinking of Paris, the other of the Channel Ports.
Each would evidently consecrate the bulk of his forces and resources to
what he considered the essential task. To sum up: on the German side,
there was only one battle; _on the Allies' side, there were two: the
battle for Paris, and the battle for the ports_. Had this situation
continued, our defeat was certain.
[Illustration: BRITISH AND FRENCH REINFORCEMENTS IN A VILLAGE. (_Photo
imperial War Museum_).]
"Foch's first thought, from the moment he took over the direction,
was to cause this disastrous divergence to cease. To the two
commanders-in-chief he prescribed the maintenance, at all cost, of the
"Such was the strategical idea which, during the following days, Foch
strove to materialise. Motoring from G.H.Q. to G.H.Q., he impressed the
same thing upon all; on Haig, Ptain, Gough, the latter's successor,
Rawlinson, Fayolle, Debeney and Humbert. By dint of repetition, this
idea was to be deeply impressed into the minds of the executants.
"To ensure liaison, to keep the troops where they were, to prevent
voluntary retreat, above all, to avoid effecting relief during
the battle, to throw the divisions into the line of fire, as they
arrived--such were the orders which were constantly on his lips during
the days which followed". (_La bataille de Foch_, by Raymond Recouly).
On March 28, General Pershing offered Foch the direct and immediate
help of the American Forces: _I come to tell you that the American
people would consider it a great honour for our troops to take part in
the present battle. I ask this of you in my name and theirs. At this
time, the only question is to fight. Infantry, artillery, aviation, all
we have is yours._
Henceforth, the battle was directed from Foch's headquarters,
temporarily installed at Beauvais. Twice a day, couriers maintained
communications between Foch and the British and French G.H.Q's.
[Illustration: LINE OF BRITISH AND FRENCH SHARPSHOOTERS. (_Photo
Imperial War Museum_).]
The Fall of Montdidier.
The Growing Resistance on the Wings.
[Illustration]
By the =27th=, the German attacks had lost much of their earlier sting.
The French, whose resistance was stiffening steadily, harassed the
enemy unceasingly.
Their infantry, now thirty-six miles from their base, could only be
revictualled with great difficulty. The Allied airmen bombed their
convoys and the railway stations incessantly.
Their artillery had difficulty in keeping up with the infantry, and the
latter were not always efficiently supported.
Meanwhile, the Allies steadily organized their defences. Gen. Pell's
group, with strong positions on the bastions of the le de France,
repulsed the enemy's repeated assaults.
Five attacks on Mont Renaud were broken.
From Canny to the Oise, the Allies stood firm.
[Illustration: _Montdidier fell, but in face of the Allies' increasing
resistance, the enemy could advance no further._]
In many places, the French heavy artillery had not yet taken up its new
positions. The battle was therefore mainly one of infantry. To the Air
Service fell the task of making good the deficiency, and throughout
the battle, bombs were rained upon the railway-stations, columns of
German infantry, and enemy supply convoys, whilst the fighting section,
skimming over the enemy masses, riddled them with machine-gun fire.
In front of Humbert's Army, the French lines were practically intact.
Homeric combats were delivered at Le Plmont, Plessis-de-Roye and
before Orvillers.
In the region of Orvillers-Sorel, the 38th Div. repulsed four assaults
delivered by the 4th Div. of the Prussian Guards.
The attack against the front of Debeney's Army was delivered with equal
fury.
[Illustration: THE ENEMY'S FINAL EFFORT SOUTHWARDS.
_March 30-April 5._]
On its right, not an inch of ground was lost. All assaults on
Mesnil-Saint-Georges were repulsed. The 6th Corps maintained
practically all its positions intact, except before Hill 104, where a
slight withdrawal was necessary.
On the left wing, the 36th Corps (Nollet) was forced to give way, and
fell back on the Avre. Moreuil was lost in the evening of the 30th.
=March 31= was marked by extremely violent local actions, especially at
Mesnil-St-Georges and Grivesnes, without appreciable result for either
side.
[Illustration: MONTDIDIER IN GERMAN HANDS.
_The Palais de Justice (see p. 99). Across the street a German
Notice-Board._]
On the evening of the 31st, the French front, practically intact,
passed west of Moreuil, skirted the high ground on the left bank of
the Avre, running thence west of Cantigny, round Montdidier, along the
suburbs of Orvillers, through Roye-sur-Matz, Le Plmont and the hills
to the south of Noyon, where the Germans had been unable to gain a
footing.
=April 1st.= The enemy sounded the French lines at Rollot, south-east
of Montdidier, but were smartly checked by a vigorous counter-attack.
Three attacks in front of Grivesnes were likewise repulsed.
April 2 and 3 were fairly quiet, being the prelude to the final effort
against Debeney's Army.
=April 4th.= At daybreak, an intense artillery preparation began,
extending from the north of Hangard to the south of Grivesnes. At 7.30
a.m., the attack was launched with unheard-of violence.
Against this front, only nine miles wide, fifteen divisions--seven of
which were composed of fresh troops--attacked ten times in the course
of the day.
Before Grivesnes, four attacks were repulsed, whilst all the enemy's
efforts against Cantigny and Hill 104 broke down. Further north the
Germans captured Mailly-Raineval, Morisel and Castel.
The next day (=April 5th=), counter-attacks checked the Germans,
prevented them exploiting their success north of Montdidier, and drove
them back into Mailly-Raineval and Cantigny.
On the following days, fighting took place at different points, which
changed hands several times, but these actions were of a local nature
only.
The Results of the German Offensive of March 21.
The great German attack was over. The roads to the south-west were
barred, as those to the south, at Noyon, had been, and Gen. Debeney was
able to address the following order to his troops:
_Soldiers of the 1st Army_,
_You have carried out your arduous task well._
_Your tenacious resistance and vigorous counter-attacks
onrush of the invader, and ensured the liaison with our
the British. The great battle has begun. At this solemn
country is with us. The soul of the Mother-land uplifts
The check of April 4 saw the end of von Hutier's reserves. All the
divisions of the XVIIIth Army had been engaged, most of them with heavy
casualties. Unwilling to take any of the divisions from the army group
under the Bavarian Crown Prince--reserved for the proposed offensive in
Flanders--or the inferior and less trained troops on the Champagne and
Lorraine fronts, the German High Command, realising that the struggle
must develop into one of attrition, like the first battle of the Somme,
gave up for the time being all idea of an offensive on the Somme-Oise
front.
A document of the German XVIIIth Army refers to the operations prior to
April 6 under the name of "The Battle of Disruption" and to those which
followed, under the name of "The Fighting on the Avre and in the region
of Montdidier-Noyon."
The divisions forming von Hutier's shock troops were withdrawn fairly
quickly. By the end of May, only two out of the twenty-three divisions
which, on March 21, had formed the XVIIIth Army, were still in line on
the Moreuil-Oise front.
[Illustration: BRITISH BATTERIES IN ACTION IN THE OPEN. (_Photo
Imperial War Museum_).]
[Illustration: BRITISH TROOPS GOING UP THE LINE NEAR ALBERT. (_Photo
Imperial War Museum_).]
[Illustration: AMIENS. SHELL BURSTING IN THE RUE DE BEAUVAIS.
(_Photo Imperial War Museum_).]
The Trench Warfare Period.
From April onwards, trench warfare began again. The Allied front was
reformed, consisting of a continuous line of hastily dug trenches and
rapidly constructed works, held by resolute troops, whose _morale_ was
intact and whose fighting spirit had never been better.
Once more the heavy artillery came into requisition, for the
preparatory pounding of the adversaries' positions.
In April-May, sharp engagements frequently took place at certain
points. On the Luce, in the region of Hangard, on the Avre, from
Thennes to Mailly-Raineval, at Grivesnes, on the west bank of the Matz,
and around Orvillers-Sorel. Of these, the attack of April 24, by its
violence and scope, constituted a veritable offensive against Amiens.
The Attack of April 24 on Villers-Bretonneux.
_See sketch below._
[Illustration]
The plateau of Villers-Bretonneux dominates the ground between the Avre
and the Somme.
It was held by the British. Slightly to the south, in Hangard Woods,
close to Hill 99, was the point of junction of the Allied Armies.
captured. Forging ahead of the infantry, the cavalry and tanks spread
panic everywhere._"
The British advanced rapidly in the direction of Rosires, along both
sides of the Amiens-Chaulnes railway.
Towards evening, the advanced line passed through Mzires, Caix and
Cerisy. Everywhere, except at Morlancourt, north of the Somme, where
the enemy resisted desperately, the Germans were routed.
More than 13,000 prisoners, a general and the staff of an army corps,
and 300 guns had fallen into the hands of the British by 9 a.m.
[Illustration: _August 8._]
Along the front of Debeney's Army, the artillery preparation was short
but violent, (45 minutes). The infantry attacked about five o'clock
i.e. after the British. The ground, divided for the greater part by the
valley of the Avre, was more difficult, and General Debeney counted
rather on manuvering, than on surprise.
The attack began on a front of 2 miles, south of the Amiens-Roye
road, debouching from the valley of the Luce towards ground suitable
for the tanks, the troops being gradually engaged on their right, along
the Avre.
At 8 a.m., two divisions turned Moreuil Wood, from the north-east and
south-west. On the Avre, another division captured Morisel, whilst to
the south of Moreuil a battalion crossed the river. Moreuil, turned
from the north and south, fell. South of Moreuil, two fresh divisions
crossed the Avre, opposite Braches, opening up a way for the troops who
had to fight on the plateaux.
At the end of the day, after an advance of about five miles, the
French reached the line Braches, La Neuville-Sire-Bernard, and joined
hands with the British near Mzires. 3,300 prisoners, including three
regimental commandants, were taken.
[Illustration: GERMAN BATTERY CAPTURED BY THE BRITISH, WHO IMMEDIATELY
TURNED IT ON THE ENEMY.
_The third gun is still pointing towards the Allies' lines. (Photo Imp.
War Museum)._]
"_It was a black day for the German Army_" wrote Ludendorff, "_the
blackest of all the war, except September 15, which saw the defection
of Bulgaria, and sealed the destinies of the Quadruple Alliance_".
[Illustration: GERMAN ARTILLERY POSITION IN SUNKEN ROAD. (_Photo Imp.
War Museum_).]
From August 9 to 12.
On =August 9-10=, the British thrust and the French manuvre developed.
THE BRITISH ADVANCE.
Between Albert and the Amiens-Roye road, the Canadians and Australians
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
PHOTOS, _p. 44_:
[Illustration: (1) _Australian Sergeant examining a German
Machine-gun captured by the 15th Brigade._] [Illustration: (2) _Near
Warfuse-Abancourt, August 8. Infantry of the Australian 1st Division
advancing on Harbonnires, after a tank had cleaned up a line of German
Machine-guns which was holding them._]
[Illustration: (3) _The Shelters of the above line of
machine-guns--light constructions compared with the powerful trench
organisations, yet strong enough to require tank treatment._]
PHOTOS ABOVE:
[Illustration: (1) _Australians in German trench, with field-guns just
captured (August 1918)._]
[Illustration: (2) _British lorries in Villers-Bretonneux (August 17,
1918)._]
II.--THE BRITISH OFFENSIVE NORTH OF THE SOMME AND THE FRENCH OFFENSIVE
BETWEEN THE OISE AND AISNE.
August 18-29.
The first phase of the Battle of Picardy was ended, but a great new
effort, between the Somme and the Scarpe, was being prepared.
Between the Aisne and the Oise, Mangin's Army attacked the plateaux on
August 18th, advancing to the Ailette on the 23rd. (_Sketch above_).
[Illustration:
_The Attack between the Oise and Aisne by the Armies of Generals
Mangin and Humbert, August 18-23._]
Following up this advance, Humbert's Army continued its offensive
vigorously on the 21st, conquered the northern slopes of Le Plmont,
AMIENS TO COMPIGNE
_See route-map, p. 57._
From Amiens to Villers-Bretonneux
Fierce fighting took place in 1918 around the monument, which was
completely destroyed.
[Illustration: GERMAN PRISONERS ENTERING VILLERS-BRETONNEUX. (_August
1918._)]
The Battles of 1918.
Prolonged and violent engagements were fought from March to August,
1918, in the vicinity of Villers-Bretonneux, for the possession
of Amiens. The battlefield consisted of a plateau occupied, from
north-east to south-west, by Villers-Bretonneux, Abb Wood, Cachy and
Gentelles. This plateau was the last dominating position in front of
Amiens. From Villers-Bretonneux, situated on the main road from St.
Quentin to Amiens, and ten miles from the latter, the ground slopes
gradually down towards the great Picardian City and the confluence of
the rivers Avre and Somme.
[Illustration: FRANCO-BRITISH CEMETERY AT "CRUCIFIX CORNER" ON THE
VILLERS-BRETONNEUX-DEMUIN ROAD.]
From March 28 onwards, this plateau was held by Australian divisions,
the famous Anzacs, who covered themselves with glory there by staying
the Germans. At the beginning of April, the latter attempted to
outflank Villers from the north and south, with but little success.
On the 24th, after a bombardment with high explosive and gas shells,
lasting the whole of the previous night, they threw four divisions
(50,000 men), supported by five tanks each fitted with three guns and
a central turret, against the Fouilloy-Cachy front, barely three miles
wide. From 7 to 10 a.m., the attacking waves went forward unceasingly
in the morning mists. At about 11 a.m., the British had to give way,
under an intensely fierce onslaught, and the Germans entered Villers
from the north and south.
Clinging to the western approaches of the village, the British,
throughout the afternoon and night of the 24th, prevented the enemy
from debouching, while their artillery fire made the position
practically untenable. Two German battalions only were able to maintain
themselves in the cellars and ruins of the houses. In the evening
of the 25th, while troops of the Moroccan Division recaptured the
monument south of the Villers railway, British units debouched from
Abb Wood, and advancing via the ravine north of Villers, Aquenne Wood
and the station to the south, surrounded and recaptured the village
after a hand-to-hand fight lasting all night. A 3-gun tank and over 700
prisoners were taken. To the south-west, in the vicinity of Cachy and
Gentelles, the enemy check was equally severe. On the 24th, a regular
battle of tanks took place near Cachy, in which the Germans were routed
and Cachy re-occupied. The four German divisions lost the battle, and
left the ground covered with their dead.
[Illustration: Domart.
Demuin.
Gentelles Wood.
Hangard.
Hangard Wood.
PANORAMA SEEN FROM HILL 102.]
On May 2, there was again sharp fighting near the Monument, but
during the following weeks, the enemy ceased their attacks. The
Australians, by local operations, enlarged their positions north-east
of Villers-Bretonneux and between Villers and the Somme. On the night
of May 23, the enemy violently bombarded Villers, and on the 25th made
another powerful effort south of the village, but without success.
_Follow G.C. 23, which runs close to_ Hangard Wood, the trees of which
were devastated by the shells. (_See map, p. 62._)
_Descend from the plateau to_ =Demuin=, _visible at the bottom of the
valley of the Luce. There is_ a large British cemetery _on the right.
Tourists may here turn to the right as far as_ =Hangard=. (_See p. 66._)
[Illustration: HANGARD VILLAGE, IN RUINS. THE CHURCH IS ON THE RIGHT.]
[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO DEMUIN VILLAGE.]
[Illustration]
_After visiting the village_ (completely devastated), _return to
Demuin. Take the main street, then the last street of the village and
the uphill road indicated in the sketch-map above, to_ =Hill 102=,
_from which there is_ a fine view of Demuin, the valley of the Luce,
Hangard, Domart and Gentelles Wood (_photo above_).
_Return to Demuin, and take G.C. 23 to_ =Hill 104= (_See map, p. 62_).
Hill 104.
Hill 104, at the crossing of the Demuin-Moreuil road with the
Roye-Amiens road, commands the valleys of the Luce and the Avre.
Hangard and Hangard Wood, seen to the north, were the scene of furious
fighting in 1918. This vital position enabled the Germans to hold the
river Luce, which they needed to consolidate the Montdidier-Moreuil
salient, and for their advance south-east of Amiens.
As early as March 27, units of Debeney's Army, under the command of
General Mesple, were pushed south of the Luce in support of the British
who were holding the line: Le Quesnel, Beaucourt, Cayeux, Guillaucourt
and Proyart. However, on the 28th, the Germans carried Guillaucourt,
north of Cayeux, descended to the woods in the Luce Valley, and drove
back the British in the neighbourhood of Cayeux. Meanwhile, General
Mesple's detachment, in accordance with instructions, stubbornly held
their positions on the Caix-Le Quesnel plateau, although unprotected
on their left. The first battalions of the French 22nd Division were
despatched immediately on arrival to Hangard and Domart, in support of
the British. On the 29th, the Germans attacked Demuin on the Luce and
forced the Allies to abandon Mzires and to fall back on Moreuil and
the Avre.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: Amiens Road.
Gentelles Wood.
Domart.
Trench.
Cachy.
Aquenne Wood.
Hangard.
Hangard Wood.
Villers-Bretonneux.
Demuin.
Marcelcave.
Corner of Wood, South of Demuin.
PANORAMA OF THE LUCE VALLEY SEEN FROM HILL 104.]
On the 31st, they gained a footing in Hangard after prolonged efforts.
In the evening and throughout the night they vainly attempted to
enlarge their gains to the west. The Franco-British troops repulsed all
assaults and prevented the enemy debouching from the village, which the
French soon afterwards recaptured in a dashing counter-attack. On April
4, the Germans attempted to turn Hangard from the south and attacked
Hill 104. After getting to within 50 yards of it, they were checked at
the foot of the hill, and fell back in disorder. They then attempted
to slip in along the ravines, but the Allied artillery drove them back
with very heavy losses.
On the 6th and 8th, fighting was resumed in the vicinity of Hangard,
where the French 29th Division held their ground. On the 9th, Hangard
was lost and retaken, together with the cemetery situated about 200
yards east of the village. On the 11th, a fresh German attack was made
against the Hangard-Hourges front. The enemy, held before Hourges,
gained a footing in Hangard, where the fighting was desperate. On the
morning of the 12th, the Germans surrounded the chteau and occupied
the whole of the wood on Hill 104. A single French battalion in the
village held out against four German battalions. In the direction of
Hourges the enemy was held.
In Hangard Chteau, the French battalion, although surrounded since
10 a.m., was still holding out at 6.30 p.m., in spite of repeated
attacks. At nightfall, a counter-attack by one French and one British
battalions recaptured the village and castle, and drove back the enemy
to the cemetery. 127 men, 3 officers and 15 machine-guns were captured,
and 35 Allied prisoners released. On April 15, before it was relieved,
the 29th Division, which had performed prodigies of valour in its
efforts to save Hangard, made it a point of honour to clear the village
entirely before leaving. One company carried the cemetery in brilliant
style. On the 19th, a German effort against the village and wood
failed. On the 24th, the fighting was again fiercest around Hangard,
which was defended by only one battalion. A whole German division
attacked and after carrying the wood boarded the village from the
north. At the same time they attacked Hill 104 from the south, at the
foot of which they had been held on the 4th. Enfiladed by machine-guns
posted in front of Thennes, the Germans failed to reach that village,
but persisted in their efforts against Hangard. After seven furious
onslaughts, from 6.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., they occupied the cemetery,
in which a single company, entirely cut off from all support, held out
all that day. Units of the battalion, hard pressed from the north, east
and south, shut themselves up with their Commandant in the Chteau,
and made a vigorous defence. Between 3 and 5 p.m., the following
message was signalled three times: "_Surrounded in Hangard but still
holding out_". At 6 p.m. the Chteau was stormed, and the commandant
taken prisoner with the remaining survivors. Taking advantage of the
confusion caused by the French bombardment among his captors, he
escaped with his men and re-entered the castle, where he continued to
hold out until nightfall. He was finally captured in the course of
another attack.
[Illustration: MAISON BLANCHE.--BRITISH TANKS GOING INTO ACTION.]
In spite of their strenuous efforts, the Germans were unable to
debouch from Hangard during the night. On the 25th, the French
counter-attacked, and after crossing the Luce at various points,
re-occupied Verger hamlet, Hangard village, and part of Hangard Wood,
repulsing all German counter-attacks.
On the 26th, the 4th Regiment of the Moroccan Division completed the
clearing of the wood. Although the British attack on their right was
unsuccessful, a battalion of "Lgionnaires" succeeded in outflanking
the north-eastern corner of the wood, in which they gained a footing.
They were followed soon afterwards by a second battalion supported
by British tanks which undertook the destruction of the German
machine-guns nests. Driven from the wood, the Germans bombarded it
heavily with 6in. and 8in. shells, but could not drive out the French.
Finally the Germans retreated 2 kms, two of their divisions being
thrown into disorder. One of them, which had just relieved the other,
suffered such heavy losses that it had to be sent to the rear two days
after coming into line. On the 28th, the Germans launched unsuccessful
counter-attacks against the wood, which was finally cleared by French
Infantry and British tanks. Thereafter, the enemy were unable to make
any advance in this region.
_At Hill 104, take on the left the road to Roye_ (G.C. 203), _and
cross_ =Maison Blanche=. _Take the first road on the left_ (G.C. 28),
_and skirt the Chteau of Beaucourt, in the park of which there is_ a
French cemetery. _Go through_ =Beaucourt=, _and keep along the road
to_ =Caix= (_See map, p. 66_). Saps, battery positions, and a German
cemetery are to be seen along the road. Caix is an ancient market-town.
Objects dating from the Bronze Age have been discovered there. The
15th-16th century Sainte-Croix Church (_Hist. Mon._), standing halfway
up the hill, is of archological interest. The famous square belfry on
the left is flanked to the top by buttresses surmounted by four low,
massive corbel-turrets with bell-shaped roofs. A door in the western
front forms a low overhanging arch with accolade-shaped archivolts,
ornamented with inset pinnacles.
A large doorway in the faade, comprising two elliptical leaves, is
surmounted by high, pointed arcading forming a tympanum. On the first
story, a delicate, open-work balustrade recalls that of Tilloloy;
above is a fine rose window. The roof was rebuilt on modified lines
after the terrible fire of April 1768, which practically destroyed the
whole village. The south front doorway dates from 1530. Its arch is
ornamented with delicately carved vine-foliage.
The 16th century pillars, without capitals, in the nave, are decorated
with finely carved canopies, several of which are mutilated. The
present consoles and statues standing against the pillars are
unfortunately not the original ones. In the aisles, the brackets on
which the springing of the pointed arches rests, are ornamented with
figures of persons, lizards and dmons... The pillars of the choir
with their foliate capitals, and the transept and chancel are 14th
century. The high altar comprises a reredos. The carved pulpit and
confessional are in the Renaissance style. The richly ornamented font
has disappeared. A large holy-water basin of unusual shape (truncated
cone) is adorned with several black circles.
All the zinc and lead-work was stripped off and taken away by the
Germans during the occupation of 1918. The wooden leaves of the
entrance door were removed. The building suffered severely from the
bombardments. The upper part of the belfry fell down and the stained
glass was destroyed. Part of the cornice and the frame-work of the
chevet were ruined.
The fortified chteau of Caix, vestiges of which still remain, was
destroyed by fire in 1400.
[Illustration: CAIX CHURCH.]
The village did not suffer greatly from the bombardments.
Caix was captured by the Germans on March 28, 1918, and retaken by the
British at the same time as Beaucourt-en-Santerre, on the evening of
August 8, i.e. the first day of the British offensive in Picardy.
_Leave the village by the road taken on entering. Beyond Beaucourt,
keep straight on as far as_ =Mzires=, _where take the second road on
the right to the church (See map, p. 66)_.
[Illustration: MZIRES CHURCH.]
The village of Mzires was attacked by the Germans, on March 28, 1918,
after the withdrawal of the British. On the 29th, units of the French
133rd Division, which were defending Mzires, were unable to hold the
overwhelming numbers of the enemy, who captured the village. On August
8, at the beginning of the offensive by Debeney's Army, the village was
recaptured by the 42nd Division, while the 37th Division progressed
east of Genonville Wood.
_At the church, take the street on the left, then the first on the
right_ (G.C. 28), _to_ =Villers-aux-rables=. The village was almost
entirely destroyed; its Chteau is in ruins.
[Illustration: VILLERS-AUX-ERABLES.--THE RUINED CHATEAU.]
_The road, along which are numerous graves, trenches and shelters,
next crosses the plateau_, where the 133rd Infantry and 4th Cavalry
Divisions so heroically retarded the German onrush of March 26-28, 1918.
Moreuil.
captured the park, taking 258 prisoners and a large quantity of stores,
and beating off all enemy counter-attacks.
[Illustration: A FEW OF THE HEROES OF THE 350TH LINE REGIMENT AND THEIR
COMMANDANT, LIEUT.-COL. LAGARDE.]
[Illustration: GRIVESNES.--BATTERY OF 8 IN. MORTARS TAKING UP
POSITION.]
[Illustration: THE WEATHER-COCK OF THE CHURCH STEEPLE AT GRIVESNES.]
[Illustration: WAYSIDE CROSS AT GRIVESNES.]
_Continue along_ G.C. 26 _to_ =Cantigny=.
The village and its surroundings were attacked by the Germans at
the end of March 1918. Sharp fighting occurred there on the night
of the 29th and the whole of the following day. Cantigny fell in
the evening of the 30th. On April 4 and 5, a counter-attack in this
region by the French 45th Division, drove back the enemy and gave the
French the northern and western outskirts of the village, which they
were, however, unable to hold. On May 28, the American 1st Division,
supported by a regiment of the French 60th Division and a group of
tanks, brilliantly carried the village and salient of Cantigny along a
2 kms. front, capturing 170 prisoners and a large quantity of stores.
[Illustration: THE AMERICAN ATTACK ON CANTIGNY, _May 28, 1918_. (_See
p. 39._)]
[Illustration: CANTIGNY ENTRANCE TO THE CHATEAU PARK.]
The village was razed to the ground. The ruins of the church and
Chteau may be reached by taking _the street on the left, in the middle
of the village_.
FONTAINE-SOUS-MONTDIDIER, in ruins, _is next reached. 3 kms. further
on, take the left-hand road to_ =Montdidier=. _Skirt the foot of the
hill, as far as the Montdidier-Amiens road (N. 35), which take on the
right. On entering Montdidier, turn into Rue du Collge which leads to
the Esplanade du Prieur_ (_See p. 98_).
[Illustration]
MONTDIDIER
_Valiant City, martyrised by the War. After sustaining the fire of the
enemy's guns for more than two years, experienced in turn the joys
of deliverance and the horrors of a brutal occupation. An important
position, bitterly disputed, it suffered total destruction, paying
with its ruins the Victory of the Mother-land._
(Croix de Guerre.)
The town stands at the extremity of the Plateau of Santerre, halfway
between Amiens and Compigne, in the valleys of the Somme and Oise.
Rising in tiers, from south to north, on the limestone cliffs, its
and two companies of engineers, were thrown into the battle. Fighting
stubbornly against odds of ten to one, they retreated only step by
step. The Germans advanced only with very heavy loss, and they had
scarcely entered Marotin Wood when a concentration of artillery fire
scattered them.
Held before the _massif_ of Boulogne-la-Grasse, they wedged themselves
in between the latter and Montdidier. There was a gap here between the
left of Humbert's Army and Debeney's right, then being brought up,
and of which only a part, i.e. the 56th Division (Demetz) had taken
up its positions. This division, with the 5th Cavalry Division (De la
Tour) and two battalions of the 97th Territorials, had to defend a
twelve-mile front, extending from Pierrepont to the outskirts of Roye.
Attacks by three German Divisions, supported by a powerful artillery,
were repulsed.
Throughout the morning, the 69th Battalion of Chasseurs fought along
the Echelle-St.-Aurin-Dancourt-Grivillers line. The latter village only
fell at 12.45 p.m.
After the capture of Erches and Saulchoy the 65th Battalion of
Chasseurs held the enemy in check for some time on the Guerbigny line,
but on being attacked on the flank by enemy forces which had crossed
the Avre beyond Guerbigny, they were compelled to fall back, but only
after inflicting very heavy losses on the enemy. This withdrawal
brought about that of the 49th Battalion, above Becquigny.
Before Marquivillers, two battalions of the 105th line Regt. held their
ground for a long time, and withdrew only after being overwhelmed.
Fighting rearguard actions, they fell back on the crest south of
Lignires, then to the plateau east of Etelfay. A battalion of the
132nd line Regt., which had been unable to reach Fescamps, fought with
the Territorials of the 97th between Piennes and Forestil Farm. At 3 p.
m., a battalion of the 132nd was thrown against Etelfay which had been
captured by the Germans, thus enabling two battalions of the 106th and
one of the 132nd to reform on the plateau to the west, where they kept
the enemy in check until 6.30 p.m.
South of Montdidier, the enemy advanced rapidly towards Rollot and
Rubescourt.
The defence of Montdidier was abandoned, and the enemy entered the town
at 6.30 p.m. The 56th I.D. and the 5th Cav. Div. reformed to the west
of Montdidier and the Avre, without losing a single gun.
The Enemy's Advance held.
In the evening, the French held the line: Ayencourt,
Mesnil-St.-Georges, Gratibus, Pierrepont and Contoire. General de
Mitry (6th Corps) gave orders to hold at all costs the line of hills
which dominate the Three-Doms stream on the west, between Pierrepont
and Domfront. The 56th Div. defended the line Framicourt, north of
Courtemanche and Domfront.
March 28.
On the morning of the 28th, the German 9th Div. entered Courtemanche,
Framicourt and Fontaine-sous-Montdidier, scattered the units of
Engineers who were holding the road to Mesnil, then occupied Mesnil,
Ayencourt and Monchel.
[Illustration]
The 56th Div. immediately counter-attacked. While a battalion of the
132nd Regt. recaptured Fontaine-sous-Montdidier, and the 65th Batn. of
Chasseurs advanced in the wood and on the hill near Mesnil, the 3rd
Batn. of the 132nd, supported by a Batn. of the 350th, drove back the
enemy to Mesnil and Monchel, and carried these villages. On the right,
General Humbert's Army recaptured Assainvillers.
March 29.
On the 29th, the 56th Div. received orders to advance as far as the
railway, between Courtemanche and Monchel. The attack was launched at
6 p.m., at the very moment chosen by the enemy for their own attack.
The fighting at once became very desperate. On the left, a company
of the 69th Batn. of Chasseurs succeeded in entering Framicourt,
but was overwhelmed and partly taken prisoners. The 49th Batn. of
Chasseurs, after advancing as far as the Chapelle de St. Pierre,
west of Courtemanche, was outflanked and forced to withdraw beyond
Fontaine-sous-Montdidier. The 65th Batn. of Chasseurs and the 3rd Batn.
of the 132nd Regt. progressed to the east of Mesnil, as far as Hill 97,
but were decimated by a violent artillery and machine-gun barrage, and
had to fall back.
March 30.
At dawn, on the 30th, after a violent artillery preparation,
a fresh German attack was launched. To the north, in front of
Fontaine-sous-Montdidier and Hill 104, the 49th Batn. of Chasseurs,
supported by units of the 54th Regt., repulsed seven assaults.
Two German air-squadrons having swept the French lines with machine-gun
fire, the attack was renewed with fresh troops, but without result. At
3.45 p.m., a new attack by strong enemy columns succeeded in turning
the exhausted French forces on both flanks. To avoid being surrounded,
the French fell back on the crest east of Villers-Tournelle, and clung
desperately to their new positions. On that day, they threw over 1,500
grenades and fired over 50,000 cartridges. From Mesnil to Royaucourt,
the battle was equally desperate. The German 9th Division had orders to
push forward as far as Elevation 136, i.e. 2 kms. south-west of
Royaucourt.
In front of Mesnil, the French 106th Regt. broke four attacks in the
morning, but at about 5 p.m., the French left having given way under
a terrific bombardment, the Germans reached the northern outskirts of
the village. The French only abandoned the village, in flames, at 6.30
p.m., taking up fresh positions 200-300 yards in the rear.
[Illustration: MONTDIDIER. RUE BECQUEREL. (_See p. 98._)]
On the right, the Germans took Monchel and Ayencourt, but were unable
to debouch, which prevented them from reaching the south-western
outskirts of Mesnil and the approaches to Royaucourt.
At 7 p.m., a counter-attack by units of the 153rd Regt., a batn. of
Of this church hardly anything remains except the walls and dbris.
Portions of the building were 14th century, but most of it dated from
the 16th century. The tower, now in ruins, was added in 1742. The
doorway was the most remarkable part of the building. The plans were
the work of Chaperon (1538), the master-mason of Beauvais Cathedral.
The style is a combination of flamboyant Gothic (central dividing
pillar, archways, springing of the archways, and niches with socle
and canopy at the base of the main pillars), and Renaissance (voluted
niches and trefoiled bell-turrets, at the top of the pillars). At
the top of the accolade-shaped arch was a shield bearing the arms of
France, surrounded by St. Michael's collar, the three crescents of
Henri II, and a monogram combining the "H" of Henri II, the double "D"
of Diane de Poitiers, and the double "C" of Catherine de Mdicis. The
side-walls of the church are sustained by buttresses. In accordance
with a custom fairly common in Picardy, each bay of the side-aisles
had its own separate roof forming a right-angle with that of the
great nave. The interior, with its three naves, massive pillars and
low 15th century vaulting--lower at the choir end than near the
doorway--appeared somewhat heavy in style.
[Illustration: MONTDIDIER CEMETERY (_north-east of the town_). _See
Itinerary, p. 98._]
[Illustration: PLACE FAIDHERBE.
(_At the end of Rue de Roye, which comes out into Place de
l'Htel-de-Ville. See p. 98_).]
At the bottom of the left aisle, a reclining statue was said to depict
Count Raoul de Crpy, and to have formed part of the tomb which the
Count had built in the 11th century, while still alive. This statue
escaped destruction during the Revolution, and was deposited in the
church in 1862. As a matter of fact, it probably dates from the 13th or
14th century, and does not represent Raoul de Crpy.
In the adjoining chapel is a _Burial Scene_ comprising seven figures
grouped around that of Christ. As in the Tomb of St. Germain-les-Fosss
at Amiens, Mary Magdalene occupies the centre of the group, whereas
this place is usually reserved for the Virgin.
The font (probably 11th. century) is the oldest known specimen of the
type used in Picardy between the 11th and 16th centuries. The low,
square basin rests on five supports, the principal one being in the
centre, the other four lesser columns at the corners. The columns,
originally in stone, were replaced in the course of time by wooden
ones. A belt ornamented with eight heads of rather primitive design
runs round the basin. The rest of the decoration, much defaced,
includes two entwined heads, grapes, and doves drinking out of a vase.
The tomb, said to be that of Raoul de Crpy, the "Burial Scene" and the
font are believed to lie buried under the dbris.
The organ loft, composed of the remains of fine Renaissance wood
carving of uncertain origin, was destroyed.
_Keep along Rue St. Pierre to Place de la Croix-Bleue, in which stood_
the STATUE OF PARMENTIER (by Malknecht), erected in 1848. Only the
pedestal remains. Parmentier, who introduced and popularized potato
growing in France, was a native of Montdidier.
_Go down Rue Parmentier, then turn left into Boulevard Bjot, in the
direction of Compigne._
From Montdidier to Cuvilly,
=via Assainvillers, Piennes, Rollot, Boulogne-la-Grasse,
Conchy-les-Pots and Orvillers-Sorel=.
_Follow Boulevard Bjot, then take Boulevard de Compigne, on
the right, and a little further on, N. 35, also on the right, to_
=Assainvillers=, entirely razed. _Take the second road on the left and
cross the light railway, 0 km. 700 beyond which are_ several lines
of trenches. _Take the left-hand street, which leads straight to the
church and village of_ =Piennes=. (_See sketch-map below._)
[Illustration: ASSAINVILLERS IN RUINS.]
Piennes.
[Illustration]
The church of Piennes (_Hist. Mon._) dating from the end of the 15th or
beginning of the 16th century, was a remarkable structure.
The tierce-point doorway comprised two round-arched bays, with a blind
Flamboyant tympanum. The dividing pillar was surmounted by a statue of
the Virgin resting on a crescent.
[Illustration: ASSAINVILLERS CHURCH.]
Between the doorway and the buttresses framing it, an elaborate Gothic
canopy sheltered an empty niche on either side. The front of each
buttress was ornamented with a niche under a Gothic canopy containing
mutilated statues of St. Catherine and St. Marguerite.
[Illustration: PIENNES CHURCH.]
The side-aisles were very picturesque with their live gables and five
separate roofs at right-angles to that of the great nave.
The vaulting is said to have been designed by Jean Vaast, one of
the architects of Beauvais Cathedral. The pretty 16th century font
was ornamented with angels' heads and fantastic figures arranged
alternately and linked together by festoons of leaves. The remarkable
churchwardens' bench of carved wood in Renaissance style was one of the
finest in the _Dpartement_ of the Somme. The wood-work of the pulpit
dated from the same period and was in the same style.
The church was almost entirely destroyed in 1918, but a portion of the
doorway and a buttress with a niche still remain. The gables of the
side-aisles, three of which have retained their roofing, are still
standing. The font near the entrance, on the left, is partly hidden
under the dbris. The pulpit was destroyed by the falling tower and
vaulting.
_Leave Piennes and pass through the hamlet of_ =Le Lundi=. Trenches may
be seen alongside the railway. _Take the Montdidier-Compigne road on
the left to_ =Rollot=, where Antoine Gallant, the Oriental writer and
translator of the French version of "The Arabian Nights", was born in
1646. Of the monument erected to his memory in the village, only the
pedestal remains.
[Illustration: ROLLOT.--RUE DE L'GLISE.]
[Illustration: THE ROAD FROM ROLLOT TO BOULOGNE-LA-GRASSE.]
_On leaving Rollot, take_ G.C. 27 _on the left_; the CHATEAU OF BAINS,
in the woods skirting the road on the left, was greatly damaged during
the fighting. _Keep straight on to_ the church of =Boulogne-la-Grasse=.
[Illustration: CHATEAU OF BAINS.]
Boulogne-la-Grasse.
Boulogne-la-Grasse is situated on the top and along the middle
slopes of a kind of small broken _massif_. Before the War, the
village consisted of a number of independant quarters intersected by
picturesque, winding streets, the whole hidden from view by gardens and
orchards.
[Illustration: BOULOGNE-LA-GRASSE.--THE RUINED CHURCH.]
[Illustration: THE CHOIR OF THE ABOVE CHURCH.]
The church, access to which is gained by a flight of 34 steps,
overlooks the main street. The choir alone is ancient.
_Take the street on the left of the church, then the first on the left
which leads to the top of the massif overlooking the village._
The moats surrounding the site of the old fortified Chteau are still
visible. The latter was replaced by a modern Chteau, now in ruins.
The telegraph-station, which used to stand on the top of the hill, to
the west of the village, was destroyed by the Prussians in 1814.
[Illustration: BOULOGNE-LA-GRASSE CHATEAU (1914).]
[Illustration: THE COURTYARD OF THE CHATEAU (1918).]
From here, there is a fine panorama of the battlefield. On March 27,
1918, the Germans attacked Boulogne and the villages to the east, i.
e. Conchy-les-Pots, Roye-sur-Matz, and Canny-sur-Matz, held by part
of the French 38th Division which had been brought up to reinforce
the 62nd Division, seriously depleted by several days' fighting. The
Germans captured Boulogne and Conchy, but the next day (28th), the
French counter-attacked and retook both villages. Having, after two
unsuccessful assaults, gained a footing in Canny-sur-Matz, the enemy
launched repeated violent counter-attacks against Conchy and Boulogne,
reoccupying the former, but recapturing only part of the latter. On
the 29th, the French progressed beyond Boulogne and again reached the
outskirts of Conchy without, however, being able to capture Canny or
dislodge the Germans from the eastern part of Boulogne. That night,
Boulogne was crushed by the French artillery and made practically
untenable, but on the 30th, the German offensive, debouching from
Conchy, drove back the French who were occupying the _massif_. During
the enemy were unable to enter the village. During the night, the 4th
Regt. of Zouaves reformed in the ruins, and on the following day (31st)
counter-attacked between 1.30 and 2.30 p.m., reconquering Epinette
Wood and taking a number of prisoners. Until May 3, when they were
relieved, they maintained their positions. On April 12 and May 11, the
French delivered two local attacks and progressed to the north-west of
Orvillers. On May 12 and 14, a German attack against the new positions
failed with heavy losses. On August 10, the 34th Corps of Humbert's
Army cleared Orvillers-Sorel, and captured the "Gothenstellung", which
formed the third main fighting line of the German defences.
[Illustration: ORVILLERS-SOREL. VIEW OF THE VILLAGE.]
_Beyond the village, a small chapel is passed, on the right, the
tourist coming out opposite_ =Sorel Chteau= (late 17th century),
_which stands_ in a closed park. The Chteau was seriously damaged
during the attacks.
[Illustration: SOREL CHATEAU.]
_Take the avenue facing the Chteau_, which was bordered with trenches,
_then N. 17 on the left, to_ =Cuvilly=.
This village is situated on the old Flanders road, formerly used by
the stage-coaches. The latter used to stop at the Post-House, the old
buildings of which were still standing before the War. The church,
heavy in style, probably dates in part from the end of the 16th
century. Only the walls and tower remain.
[Illustration: CUVILLY.
THE CHURCH, SOUTH-WEST FAADE.]
_To reach the church take Rue de Matz, on the right, and on reaching
the square, bear to the left._
Belloy Plateau.
_To reach_ Belloy Plateau, on which violent fighting took place in June
1918, _keep straight on the road from Cuvilly to_ =Lataule=.
The church of Lataule, although modern, has retained some of the
windows of the 15th century edifice. Opposite, stands the Chteau,
built at the end of the 17th century, after the Spanish wars. Of the
old Chteau, destroyed in the 17th century, traces still remain near to
the road.
_Turn to the right, skirting the park of the Chteau, to reach_ =Hill
132=, on which are a cemetery, an observation-post, and some trenches.
[Illustration: STATUES IN CUVILLY CHURCH.]
From there, the view extends over Belloy and Mry to the west, Cuvilly
to the north, Lataule and Lataule Wood to the east, Genlis Wood to the
south, and St. Maur to the south-east. The Germans gained a footing on
this bare plateau on June 10, 1918, capturing the villages of Lataule,
Mry, Belloy, St. Maur and Cuvilly, after a fierce battle lasting
two days, in which they engaged large forces. Mry especially, was
fiercely disputed and changed hands twice that day. On the following
day (11th), the Germans had scarcely installed themselves on the newly
conquered ground, when they were thrown into confusion and defeated
by the sudden counter-attack of a group of divisions under General
Mangin. All available tanks had been assembled within twelve hours, in
support of this counter-attack, and thanks to their clearly visible
line, the French aviators were able, throughout the battle, to follow
the advance of the infantry with accuracy. The tanks attacked and cut
off the villages of Mry and Belloy, enabling the infantry to capture
the entire German garrisons without striking a blow. On the 12th they
reformed, and went forward again with the infantry, advancing east of
Mry and Genlis Wood, before Belloy, and as far as the outskirts of
St. Maur. The line was advanced 2 kms., east of Mry, as a consequence
of this thrust, and German counter-attacks failed to win back the
lost ground. Cuvilly remained in the possession of the enemy, who
consolidated it. On August 10, when the offensive by Humbert's Army
began, the German line of support known as the "Vandalenstellung",
which passed south of the village, was carried by the French in a
single rush.
[Illustration:
LATAULE. THE CHATEAU IN RUINS.]
[Illustration: RUINS OF BELLOY CHURCH.]
[Illustration: BARRICADE IN MRY VILLAGE.]
[Illustration: MRY. A CORNER OF THE VILLAGE.]
_The road leads to_ =Belloy=, _which pass through, leaving the pond on
the left. Just outside the village, there is_ a "Calvary", _whilst a
little further on, are_ battery positions with shelters. =Mry=, whose
church is in _the third street on the left, is next reached_.
The oldest parts of the church (choir, left transept and tower) date
from the 16th century. The rest is 18th century. There are underground
shelters in the village and surroundings, the entrances to which are
nearly all blocked up. As in the other villages on this plateau,
ancient _sarcophagi_ have been discovered at Mry.
_Turn back and take G.C. 146 to_ RESSONS-SUR-MATZ. Trenches with wire
entanglements are to be seen along the road.
[Illustration: ARTILLERY PASSING THROUGH RESSONS-SUR-MATZ.]
From Belloy Plateau to Compigne,
=via Ressons-sur-Matz, Marquglise, Margny-sur-Matz, lincourt-St.
Marguerite, Marest-sur-Matz, Coudun and Bienville.=
_At the crossing of the road with N. 17, on the left, is_ the CHATEAU
OF SCHELLES. _Continue along G.C. 146; 2 kms. further on, there is a
very bad level-crossing over a narrow-gauge railway. After crossing
a normal gauge railway (l. c.) and another narrow-gauge line_,
=Ressons-sur-Matz= _is reached. Turn left to reach the church._
[Illustration: RESSONS-SUR-MATZ.--THE MAIN STREET.]
Ressons is a very ancient market-town. St. Amand, bishop of Maestricht,
preached the Gospel there about the year 632. It was formerly a fairly
of Humbert's Army.
_Return to the car and after turning it round, take the first road on
the left to_ =Margny-sur-Matz=. (_See map, p. 124._)
[Illustration: MARGNY-SUR-MATZ.--INTERIOR OF THE CHURCH.
_Note the "Glory Beam"._]
The door and choir of the church are Norman. Some of the capitals in
the choir (those behind the altar) attest to the primitive Norman
style. A stone _Pieta_ and a small ovoid stoup dating from 1603 have
disappeared. A "glory beam" depicts Jesus-Christ, the Virgin and St.
John.
_Continue along the road. On leaving Margny, there is a bad
level-crossing over a narrow-gauge railway. Take the first road on the
left to_ =lincourt-St.-Marguerite=.
[Illustration: ELINCOURT-ST.-MARGUERITE. THE CHURCH.]
This is a very old village, in the neighbourhood of which are several
tombs dating from a very remote period. The country was occupied by the
Romans. Gallo-Roman remains have been discovered around the Chteau of
Bellinglise. Under Charles-le-Simple, the village and chapel of St.
Marguerite were given to the Abbey of St. Corneille at Compigne. The
Priory of St. Marguerite, founded by the Benedictines at the end of the
11th or beginning of the 12th century, was rebuilt in the 13th century.
The district hereabouts suffered severely during the Hundred Years War.
According to a local tradition, the old Chteau of Beauvoir, on the
left of the Thiescourt road and now entirely overrun with vegetation,
gave shelter one night to Joan of Arc, then a prisoner. This is not
improbable, but the tablet in the church, bearing the following
inscription: _Joan of Arc, before shutting herself up in Compigne, in
MCCCCXXX, made a pilgrimage to St. Marguerite and communicated in the
church of lincourt_, is not borne out by history, as she could not
have gone to lincourt--occupied by the English--seeing that she left
Crpy to go to Compigne.
Parts of the church are early 12th century, the aisles and belfry 18th.
The doorway includes three accoladed windows, with two other windows
above surmounted by diamond-pointed moulding. In the interior, there
is an 18th century marble altar. A marble statue of St. Marguerite was
placed in safety during the war, but another of St. John (15th century)
also in marble, has disappeared, together with the two shrines of St.
Barbe and St. Marguerite.
The church was seriously damaged, most of the vaulting being destroyed.
At the eastern termination, the partial collapse of two buttresses
laid bare some small 12th century columns which formerly ornamented
the choir and which were walled in at the time the buttresses were
reconstructed, probably in the 15th century.
_Leaving the church on the left, follow the road as far as the first
crossing. Leave the car and climb the hill-side on foot, as far as_ the
=Monastery of St. Marguerite=, which dominates the whole valley of the
Matz, and from which there is a fine view extending from Ressons Wood
to the Soissonnais hills. Only fragments of the surrounding walls, a
deep well, some cellars (which were transformed into shelters), and a
number of old yew-trees remain.
captured. The French advanced in the direction of Gury and St. Claude
Farm, which formed the key of the "Gothenstellung" position, and by
evening had reached the western outskirts of Gury, a point south of
La Berlire and Hill 143, and approached St. Claude Farm, Hill 166,
Samson, Cense Farm and the quarries of Montigny and Antoval. On the
12th, they captured and progressed beyond Gury and St. Claude Farm, and
took couvillon and Loges Wood, the latter being, however, lost again
in the afternoon. On the 13th, they advanced along the plateau, gained
a footing in Plessis Park, reached the eastern outskirts of Belval, and
attained a point 800 yards north-east of Gury. Entering Ribcourt on
the 14th, they re-occupied the Attiche and Monolithe Farms on the 15th,
as well as the quarries situated 2 kms. north-west of Ribcourt. On the
17th, the Germans delivered several powerful attacks near Monolithe and
Attiche Farms, but failed to drive back the French, who strongly held
the newly conquered ground.
[Illustration: ST. CLAUDE FARM.]
_From St. Claude Farm, return to lincourt. Near the church, take Rue
de l'Escalier_ (G.C. 142) _and the road on the left of the Calvary. 1
km. further on, near a block of houses, follow the right-hand road,
passing through_ =Marest-sur-Matz=. _The road skirts the_ CHATEAU
OF RIMBERLIEU, _opposite which is_ a tower--all that remains of an
old fortified castle. =Villers-sur-Coudun= _is next reached_, whose
church is situated on the left, near the end of the village. The end
of the chancel is 12th-13th century, the faade and vaulting 15th-16th
century, the remainder modern.
_Continue along the road to_ =Coudun=, formerly the Head-Quarters of
the Training Camp built in 1698 for the Duke of Burgundy, grandson of
Louis XIV. The king, accompanied by James II of England, paid a visit
to this camp in August, to attend the military manuvres. The camp,
under the command of Marshal de Boufflers, extended along the plateau
which dominates the right bank of the Oise from Lachelle to Margny and
from Baugy to the Chteau of Bienville. 50 battalions of Infantry, 52
squadrons of Cavalry and 40 guns were stationed there.
[Illustration: VILLERS-SUR-COUDUN.--THE MAIN STREET.]
Although the nave and aisles of ST. HILAIRE CHURCH are modern,
the faade, arched doorway and choir date from the Norman period
(11th or 12th century). The doorway is ornamented with an archivolt
formed by raftered and counter-raftered _tori_ with a tympanum of
diamond-moulding. One of the cornices of the choir is supported by
Norman arcading with figured modillions. Inside the church are a
stoup and a 7-branched chandelier (both made out of a single piece
of wrought-iron), and a 17th century painting above the high altar
depicting: _The Crowning of the Virgin_. The bronze bell (761) was
saved.
_Keep along G.C. 142_ to =Bienville=, situated to the west of a
long hill--the Ganelon--which stretches from the south-east to the
north-west, and whose south-western side is sharply indented. From
the top of this hill (altitude: 480 feet) consisting of a plateau
which dips slightly down towards the Oise, there is a fine view over
the whole of the surrounding country: Laigue Forest, Aisne Valley,
Compigne Forest, Oise Valley as far as Verberie, and the hills of
Liancourt, between Creil and Clermont. At the north-western end of
Ganelon Hill, many Roman medals and antiquities have been discovered,
and it is believed that a Roman camp formerly occupied this site.
afterwards
_is entered
the latter,
Rue de
ALPHABETICAL INDEX
of the places mentioned in this Guide.
A
Ailly-sur-Noye, 78, 79
Aquenne Wood, 59, 65
Arrire-Cour Wood, 75, 76
Assainvillers, 94-97, 107
B
Bains (Chteau), 109
Beaucourt, 66, 68, 69
Bellinglise (Chteau), 123
Belloy, 116, 117, 118
Bienville, 126
Boulogne-la-Grasse, 110-112
Boves, 62
C
THE
_MICHELIN_
TOURING OFFICE
[Illustration: A VIEW OF THE MICHELIN TOURING OFFICE]
Open to all Motorists seeking information and advice regarding Tours
The MICHELIN Touring Office saves the intending Tourist time and
trouble, and generally assists him in mapping out his Tour free of
charge, and irrespective of the make of Tyres he uses.
Send us a rough draft of your next proposed Tour and we will prepare a
complete and detailed itinerary and forward it on to you, within three
or four days.
MICHELIN TOURING OFFICE
81, FULHAM ROAD, LONDON, S.W.3. and
99, BOULEVARD PEREIRE, PARIS, XVII.
Telephone: Kensington 4400.
GREAT BRITAIN
FRANCE
BELGIUM
SWITZERLAND
SPAIN
31 sheets
48 -3 -4 -13 --
Transcriber's Notes.
1. Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by
=equal signs=.
2. Silently corrected simple spelling, grammar, and typographical
errors.
3. Page 24: Illustration caption should read "General Rawlinson".
Caption corrected.
4. Page 96: The original reads "The Liberation [on] Montdidier.
(_August 8-10, 1918._)." This is probably an error and should read
"The Liberation [of] Montdidier. (_August 8-10, 1918._)."
Text not changed.
5. Page 123: (_from Mareuil to Thiescourt_). Missing bracket added.
End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Somme, Volume 2. The Second Battle
of the Somme (1918), by Michelin & Cie
*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SOMME, VOLUME 2 (1918) ***
***** This file should be named 53762-0.txt or 53762-0.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/5/3/7/6/53762/
Produced by Brian Coe, Brian Wilsden and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will
be renamed.
Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright
law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works,
so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United
States without permission and without paying copyright
royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part
of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project
Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm
concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark,
and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive
specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this
eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook
for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports,
performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given
away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks
not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the
trademark license, especially commercial redistribution.
START: FULL LICENSE
THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGE.
1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you
received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium
with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you
with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in
lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person
or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second
opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If
the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing
without further opportunities to fix the problem.
1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO
OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of
damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement
violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the
agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or
limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or
unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the
remaining provisions.
1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in
accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the
production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm
electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,
including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of
the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this
or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or
additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any
Defect you cause.
Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of
computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It
exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations
from people in all walks of life.
Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project
Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other
ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To
donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate
Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works.
Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project
Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be
freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and
distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of
volunteer support.
Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in
the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not
necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper
edition.
Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org
This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.